


Beginning Again

by PsychologicalColors



Series: Oikawa Rare Pair Week [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Bokuto is a good friend, Character Study, Day 3, Enemies to Friends, Moving On, OikawaRarePairWeek, Same Team, he is also a good buffer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychologicalColors/pseuds/PsychologicalColors
Summary: “Satori told me I should attempt reintroducing myself to you. My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, first year at Chuo University. I am a wing spiker and former ace of Seijou. I look forward to working with you” he finished, bowing down.Oikawa couldn’t help but stare.Never in his life would he have expected this.He busted out laughing.





	Beginning Again

Oikawa’s first day in Tokyo had proven to be a fantastic experience, if not a tad bit overwhelming.

 

It awed him to see how lively the city could be early into the morning. It was a stark contrast to Miyagi, where after 8 most were already in there homes for the night. His first day of taking classes had been an odd experience, most his classes had been in the afternoon, but regardless his body had refused to sleep in.

The first week had been chaos. Pure and simple. His schedule varied drastically, with Mondays starting at 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, only for Tuesday's classes to start at   12 p.m.

 

By the end of the week he had been exhausted and had curled up for the rest of the weekend.

 

Even he had days where he wanted to stay in doing nothing.

 

However, the first day of practice had left him the most tense.

 

It had been strange for him at first, walking into a new gymnasium. One where he wasn’t a captain anymore, where this was no longer _his_ team, at least not yet. No, here he was a freshman, a new member of a team. This was a place where he would have to prove himself all over again.

 

Probably unlike Ushijima, who was going to be a starter soon enough.

 

He had felt his lips turn into a snarl for a moment, before quickly schooling his features. It wouldn't do to have his new teammates caught him looking unapproachable. Oikawa had a reputation to keep. A friendly smile soon adorned his face, but the emotions he felt still resided beneath it.

 

Envy, annoyance, disdain.

 

Oikawa walked further into the gym. Once he spotted the other freshman, he figured he'd go introduce himself. Among them was, of course, Ushijima, who stood further away from the rest of the group. Instead, he seemed to be observing the rest of the gymnasium. He meandered around the group, introducing himself and getting to know them in return. With nothing else to do for the moment, he pulled out his phone. He glanced to Ushijima, only for their eyes to meet. For a moment, Oikawa thought he had seen relief flash through his eyes. His shoulders seemed to have loosened as well.

 

Before he could get deep into thought over it, a man with peppered streaked hair had entered the gym, and made a beeline towards him. 

 

As he got closer the guy seemed to radiate happiness.

 

“Hey, Hey, Hey, you're Oikawa right? The names Bokuto Kotarou, I look forward to playing with you” Bokuto greeted, all but bouncing on his feet.

 

Oikawa felt himself relax a bit now with the promise of a distraction. Oikawa knew of Bokuto, had seen him in Volleyball Monthly plenty of times. While Oikawa had been featured a few times himself, he didn’t think the other man was the type who’d remember most people featured.

 

“The pleasures all mine, Bokuto. Though, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to know who I am. ” Oikawa said, smiling pleasantly at the man.

 

“Of course I would. You _were_ featured in Volleyball monthly as one of the top setters” Bokuto said, chest puffing up in pride “I like to keep track of strong players; know who my competition is” he finished.

 

“I guess that makes the two of us” Oikawa replied, giving him a grin of his own. Bokuto definitely seemed much more observant than he first thought.

 

Bokuto jogged off with a quick wave to him as he went to greet the rest of the freshman. Eventually, Bokuto walked up to Ushijima with a sense of familiarity.

Shocking.

It was inevitable that they would meet at nationals. Oikawa took a deep breath. He was no longer in Miyagi, this wasn’t Seijou. Ushijima was his teammate now. He was going to have to learn to at least be civil around the man.

 

May as well start now.

 

At least he could use Bokuto as a potential buffer.

 

Oikawa hesitated for a moment before turning towards them, he took another breath before heading in their direction. He listened into their conversation for a moment, it was mostly Bokuto boasting about an apparent win over the ‘number one ace’. Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to ask.

 

“Hey Bokuto, what win do you have over Ushi-jima” He had stopped himself before he could refer to the other man as Ushiwaka. He had to be civil. He didn’t have to be best friends with the guy. Civil, that's all.

 

He watched as both men turned to him, Ushijima seemed… surprised? It wasn’t very noticeable, but he noted the way the man’s eyes had widen a fraction. Okay, that is definitely real emotion. Honestly, Oikawa doesn’t remember the last time he called him by his proper name if it wasn’t spat out. He’d probably be surprised to.

 

Bokuto turned to him and quickly launched into retelling stories of his ‘disciple’ who turned out to be the small shrimp from Karasuno. Oikawa listen attentively to Bokuto until they were called for lineup. He walked in between the two and soon they were launched into introductions followed by their first practice.

 

* * *

 

Their first practice match was the first time he play _with_ Ushijima. As much as Oikawa had become more affable towards Ushijima, there was still a part of him that was determined to destroy him in a match. So, up until that day Oikawa made it a point to worm his way onto the opposing team. They would still lose, but Oikawa also enjoyed working with the upperclassmen, and that would normally be the balm to his wounds most days. Most importantly though, he had come to enjoy playing with Bokuto. At first, it had been a nightmare, he hadn’t been expecting the man’s mood swings _at all._ Primarily, he had been frustrated and agitated to no end. He tried his best to lift Bokuto’s spirits, but it had resulted in a few clumsy attempts which seemed to have ping ponged his emotions even more.

 

At one point, he had threatened not to toss to him at all if he missed the next toss. It had worked for the most part, but had left Bokuto calling Oikawa mean for the rest of the day and comparing him to his former setter, Akaashi. Once he got the hang out it, he had found it rather amusing. He reminded Oikawa heavily of a puppy. He had pointed this out to him, expecting the man to protest, but they had mostly joked about it and ended up comparing each other to various animals.

 

The conversation had lead to them talking about a friend of Bokuto’s, who very much resembled a cat, despite being a dog person.

 

Sometimes Oikawa believed some coincidences were far to ironic to be simple coincidence, considering weeks later, their first practice match had been against Kuroo himself.

 

The moment Bokuto had laid eyes on Kuroo, he ran off ditching Oikawa, leaving him to prep on his own.

 

Being left to his thoughts, his mind wandered back to the thought of playing  _with_ Ushijima. 

 

He glanced over to Ushijima, he had mixed feelings about the situation. He already knew it was inevitable, this day would've come sooner or later. When he looked back over to Bokuto, he was met with a pointed look. Bokuto was quick in noting the tension in the air between the two. Hell, he was probably assuming that Oikawa would toss to everyone _but_ Ushijima, especially after the man’s earlier comment.

 

As much as the thought appealed to him, Oikawa Tooru was better than that.

 

_There are six players on a team._

 

That didn't stop a scowl from forming on his lips however.

 

He couldn't stand the man's arrogance. 

 

Oikawa walked up to Ushijima, deciding it’d be best to get these thoughts off his chest. He had never been one to hold in his comments, especially around Ushijima.

 

“I’m not going to prioritize tossing to you, but I’ll make the best calls”

 

Ushijima nodded.

 

Oikawa nodded back and walked off as Bokuto called him over.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa had managed to keep a straight head during the game, tossing to whoever had the best potential of scoring. Every toss he sent to Ushijima left him with an unpleasant feel. Made him feel like a traitor to himself. Despite always being able to score, he couldn't find himself able to rely on him, to trust him.

 

During their timeout, he had found himself wishing it was Hajime instead.  

 

Despite the longing for his old team, his current team worked well together and functioned similarly. They were strong without a doubt and well rounded. He had heard the coach from the sideline comment on the stronger unity of their team with the addition of Oikawa. The pride within him preened at the recognizance of his skills.

The other team was also strong, Kuroo especially had been a pain to deal with. Bokuto had told him Kuroo was excellent at defense, and how he seemed to have gotten better. The man also had incredible reflexes.

 

No wonder why they called him a cat.

 

By the end of it, they had won with a smaller point gap than what Oikawa had originally anticipated, considering they had Bokuto and Ushijima on their side.

 

After the end of practice, Oikawa found himself being invited to dinner alongside Kuroo and Bokuto. As they headed to the door, Bokuto had paused mid-step before turning around and walking up to Ushijima. They had a short conversation before Bokuto began _dragging_ Ushijima with him.

 

“I’m inviting Ushijima to eat with us”

 

“I think you mean forcing him, bro”

 

“Nah, these two need a break, they never seem to stop overdoing it.”

 

“That’s rich coming from you Bokuto”

 

“Well, I say we should all get dinner and rest, cause rest is important” Bokuto said haughtily pointing his finger at Oikawa.

 

“Rest would be beneficial” Ushijima agreed.

 

Bokuto lit up, “See, I know best”

 

Oikawa and Kuroo had glanced at each other before rolling their eyes. Oikawa had grinned at him before linking their arms and walking off, pretending to ignore Bokuto. Kuroo had played along fantastically while Bokuto caught up, still dragging Ushijima. Bokuto had pouted, making a show of trying to get their attention. After a few minutes of playful banter the four of them had reached their destination.

 

Quickly, they entered the restaurant and took their seats. After a moment of looking at the menu, they had sat down and ordered.

* * *

 

The meal had been pleasant. Ushijima had mostly kept quiet throughout the conversation, only adding comments occasionally or when spoken to. His answers were mostly blunt and too the point. The conversation died down a bit once the food arrived and it was in these moments that Oikawa would glance over at Ushijima and think about their previous interactions before college. Sitting here, eating dinner with him, had felt surreal at the beginning. His mind had trouble wrapping his head around the concept, he had spent so long wanting nothing to do with the man, and now he was being forced into a social situation with him.

 

Oh, Oikawa knew of Bokuto’s plan. In the last few weeks he had been advocating for them to play nice and be friends.

 

Bokuto wasn’t as slick as he’d like to believe.

 

So when Bokuto and Kuroo broke off from the group earlier than necessary, Oikawa was not surprised. He had thrown Bokuto a dirty look and had only been met with two cunning grins.

 

Oikawa walked in what felt like an awkward silence. Ushijima walked on without care. Oikawa continued thinking, doing his best to analyze the man now, with his head clear of negative emotions.

 

Oikawa tried to understand Ushijima.

 

He was blunt and honest and never seemed to hesitate in what he said aloud; he always spoke his mind with little consideration. On some occasions it was criticism and pointers, on others it was simply his own perspective. Without regard to much, he would say them whether his comments were wanted or not.

 

As they neared the entrance to the dorms, Oikawa decided to take a page out of Ushijima’s book.

 

He stopped his walking before starring Ushijima down.

 

“You suck at socializing, you’re far to blunt and have no idea how to look at anyone’s perspective or their emotions, and I have always hated that about you.” Oikawa started, the words tumbling out like bullets.

 

“I still cannot forgive you for belittling my pride, my pride was not only in myself, but in my team, you know. We worked hard every day on honing those skills.” he continued.

 

“But, I can’t fault you for being the way you are anymore, that’s just how you’ve always been. After being on the same team as you, I can’t lie to myself anymore. I don’t see malice in your words like I did before, nor do I see your confidence as pure arrogance, either.”

 

Before Ushijima could respond, Oikawa walked into the dorms waving goodbye. He had rounded the corner, before disappearing up the stairs, the door closing with a hollow click.

 

That night he had felt lighter than he had in a long, long time.

 

* * *

 

The days following, Ushijima seemed to observe Oikawa intensely, the team had noticed, but most had decided to leave it be.

 

Everyone except Bokuto.

 

Who had tried cornering hims on one of there days off. 

 

Oikawa and Bokuto had taken to practicing occasionally on their off days, and Oikawa should have expected Bokuto to try and pry the information out of him.

 

“The hell’d you do to provoke this? I can’t tell if this is an improvement or regression at this point Oikawa”

 

“I was just honest with him, geez” Oikawa said, slamming down the ball in his next serve.

 

* * *

 

What Oikawa hadn’t expected was for Ushijima to come up to him and ask him to set for him in a two vs. two match after practice the next day. He had looked over at their opponents, two of the upperclassmen who would soon retire. These two had been particularly adamant on trying to best Ushijima before then.

 

With slight suspicion on his part, Oikawa agreed. He had long since become accustomed to Ushijima’s play style, and all his quirks. It had been a strange experience setting to him during the practice match, the distance had been slightly off and left Oikawa trying to fix the issue.

 

They had decided to go with only one set, winner takes all. It was already late, even by Oikawa’s standards.

 

The set had started, and the two of them had quickly began racking up points. The seniors had done a good job defending, but ultimately weren’t able to attack. The majority of their points had been thanks to their block outs, or when they were able to get past Oikawa and aim for Ushijima. Finally, the set had finished and they all shook hands, the seniors complaining good-naturedly on how they were absolute monsters. After cleaning up, the two had exited the gym.

 

Once again, Oikawa was left standing around with Ushijima. The two of them walked in silence towards the locker room. Once in there, Oikawa had grabbed his bag from the locker and placed it next to him on the bench. Lowering his knee brace, Oikawa began to massage the area, momentarily forgetting about everything as he closed his eyes.

 

“You chose the right path in coming here, you are a talented player” Ushijima had started.

 

Oikawa felt his inside turn cold. His eyes flung open as he glared at Ushijima.

 

“I have thought about what you have said. I no longer believe that your pride was worthless, I stand by what I have said in the past. I still believe that Shiratorizawa had been the strongest team. But you were also correct in stating that no team is guaranteed victory.”

 

Oikawa continued listening, he was still wary, but no longer was he feeling as hostile. He busied himself in fixing his knee brace and standing up. He looked the man up and down. As far as he could assume, this was Ushijima’s way of trying to apologize.

 

“Satori told me I should attempt reintroducing myself to you. My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, first year at Chuo University. I am a wing spiker and former ace of Seijou. I look forward to working with you” he finished, bowing down.

 

Oikawa couldn’t help but stare.

 

Never in his life would he have expected this.

 

He busted out laughing.

 

Ushijima straightened out and looked back in mild confusion, this only served to throw Oikawa into hysterics.

 

At least now he knew Ushijima _was_ capable of showing emotion.

 

After a few minutes, Oikawa calmed down. Ushijima seemed to have a handle on his emotion again and no longer looked as confused. With an amused smirk, Oikawa bowed slightly, every movement filled with a mocking undertone, before giving his ‘reintroduction’.

 

“My name is Oikawa Tooru, first year at Chuo university, majoring in chemistry. I was previously the setter at Seijou Academy. Let’s try to get along.”

 

Oikawa held out his hand, Ushijima grabbing it in a firm grip, and they shook.

 

There was no doubt in his mind, that there would be day were their personalities would clash, after all, Oikawa was still a bitter person.

 

But at least this was a lot better than what could have been.

 

Its better than constant animosity, hatred, and his own insecurities clouding his mind and poisoning everything around him.

 

Oikawa grabbed his bag and motioned for Ushijima to follow him.

 

Together they walked out of the gym and headed towards the dorm. This time the awkward silence was filled with Oikawa’s chatter. Ushijima would still make comments Oikawa would disagree with, but no longer were his responses full of hate and envy, but simply his need to be on top of an argument.

 

It was a cliched thought, but had Oikawa been told that he could be friendly with Ushijima in the past, he would have said you were insane.

 

As they reached the dorms, Oikawa parted from Ushijima, but this was the first time they had parted on good terms.

 

For the first time in years, Oikawa felt free. 


End file.
